dry rusty material on top of my melted lead

[GregH]

I am new to casting. The results look fine but while I am casting, I get layer of dry greyish red material on top of melted lead.

I have used small amounts (perhaps two pea sized drops in an hour) of paraffin and lyman bullet lube for flux but I am seemingly getting more "rust" material then anything I am putting into the pot. The lead is "hardball" and linotype from Midway. The pot is from Lee and it is not a bottom pour.

I have just been scrapping the material out with my ladle and discarding it. My concern is that I am discarding some alloy because I am not using the right flux or not fluxing often enough

thanks

[docone31]

When my pot was new, it did the same thing. It goes away after a while.
If you are careful, you won't toss that much useable material drossing off.
I used to use the blade of a butter knife when I drossed off a casting melt.

[GregH]

Glad to hear that. I had visions of my bullets turning to butter in my barrel.

[docone31]

Oh man, the things my mind came up with in this process.
Especially, sizing paper patched boolitts! I saw patches torn, loose, removed.
It went great.
Relax, and enjoy the ride.

[OLPDon]

When I use to pour via laddle my laddle would rust up and that rust use to float to the top of the melt. I fixed it by giving it a good wire brushing before I started pouring. Hope this helps.
Don

[GregH]

I am heading out tomorrow to do a little shooting in the desert with some 30-30 and 44 mag boolits. I put together a metal backstop to collect all the lead I expect to expend. I'll be like that that fella who said he only shot to fill up his reloading habit.

take care